Edward weston



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD WESTON, OE NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC LIGHTING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RH EOSTAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,449, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed December 27, 1884. Serial No. 151,310. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it `known that I, EDWARD WESTON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rheostats, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

lIhe subject of my present invention is a rheostat or artificial resistance, the nature and purpose of which will be understood by a general description of a system invented by me, and described by Letters Patent No. 304,882, dated September 9, 1884. In this or similar systems the lamps are run in multiple series, so that to maintain the same distribution of current at all times the relative resistances of the several branch circuits should remain unchanged. If alamp be extinguished therefore, an equivalentresistance must be substituted for it.

The lamps in the system referred to are of mnchlarger size than those ordinarily used, and consume a correspondingly greater amount of electrical energy. The resistancecoils used in place of these lamps must in consequence be capable of carrying the current without heating, and as a considerable number are usually required it is important to make them as small and compact as possible. The objects which I had in view in the construction of this device are therefore to produce a rheostat which shall have a comparatively high resistance,which shall be capable of carrying a heavy current without heating, and which shall occupy but little space.

As the invention consists in the details of construction by which these results are at tained, I will explain the same by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of aresistancebox constructed in accordance with my invention, aportion of the face or cover being cut away. Fi g. 2 is a perspective of the frame for supporting the resistance-coils- Fig. 3 is a cross-section, on a reduced scale, of the box,

showing the general arrangement of the resistanceswires.

The rheostat 1s contained in a box, A, constructed by preference so as to be placed ona shelf or attached to a vertical support. The box is covered by a perforated lid, B,`and the sides may also be perforated, if it be so desired,to produce a better circulation of air.

The frame or support for the resistancewires consists of a certain number of thin wooden or other like plates, C, held parallel to one another at short distances apart by four wooden bars, D. The plates or boards 6o one side, the wire then straightened where it 7o passes over the edge of the board, as shown in Fig. 4. It is then carried down the opposite side of the board and up again on the other. When one board is filled with the spirals E,the wire is straightened and carried over to the next board, and so on until all are covered,or the desired length of wire has been applied. A wire of German silver is commonly used.

While the peculiarities of the construction 8o of this device make it advisable to apply the Wire in the manner described, this is not essential, as the spirals may be applied to each board separately, and afterward connected in series,or otherwise,as may advantages secured by this construction are numerous. The spirals are very unlikely to become displaced or to come into contact with one another. All but the very smallest p0rtion of the wire is exposed to the air, so that 9o the radiation of heat is fully provided for. The frame may be inserted in or drawn from the box with ease, so that in case of accident ready access may be had to the wires.

The device is a very cheap one and involves 95 no difficulties in its construction.

What I claim is- .1. A rheostat or artificial resistance consisting of insulating boards or plates supported by cross-bars, in combination with a roo be necessary. The

spiral wire wound around said boards 0r with perforations in one or more of its sidos7 plates in the manner specified. p as set forth.

2. An insulating-frame consisting of boards In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my or plates supported in parallel planes by hand this 23d day of December, 1884.

5 cross-bars secured to their corners and carry- EDWARD XVESTON.

ing a resistance-wire which, in the form of a Vitnesses: spiral, is Wound upon opposite sides of each HENRY A. BEGKMEYER,

p1ate,in combination with a box or receptacle Biol-Linn W. BLOEMEKE. 

